Right before we left Delhi God touched the lives of two Indian men!! One man was crippled with Polio and he was unable to stand or stretch any of his limbs. He was on the street begging for money when two members of our team started talking with him. In simple English they shared the gospel with him, and told him God would give him a new body. The man said he prayed that his next life he would have a new healthy body. Our teammates explained with Jesus the man could have a new body after death for all eternity and would never have to worry about disease in heaven. When they asked him if he wanted a new life and body with Jesus the man excitedly said yes!! Our teammates were able to pray with him and secure his place in heaven! Hallelujah! The next night one of the team and our leader went to talk with our hotel manager about taxis to the airport the following day. They asked the manager how they could pray for him, and he replied I always pray facing this way. They responded with no, we want to pray to our God for you; do you have any sickness or need prayers for your family? He asked for prayers for his family then mentioned he had an accident a few years ago where he injured his head. This left him in pain every day, needing to take medication for it, and restless nights with minimal sleep. One of them said we believe Jesus can take the pain away right now if you let us pray for you. The man immediately bent his head down to them for prayer! The next morning after breakfast the manager asked that team member to come and see him before we left for the airport. When the team member went the manager told him he had no more pain in his head and he had the most restful night of sleep last night! The manager asked our teammate to continue to pray to Jesus for him, and for his email so he would never forget what had happened! When our teammate returned to our lobby to share the good news we discovered a Hindi bible that had been left by someone on a table in the lobby. Everyone said give this bible to him! The teammate went back to the manager and showed him the book of John saying this is the story of Jesus you should read it. The manager replied I will read it every night thank you! God is so good and His love never ends! We left for Kolkata not knowing what God would do next.
It's crazy how different two cities can be even if they are only a short plane ride away! In Kolkata there are fewer English speaking people, it's 20 times more humid, about 100 times more crowded, and is home to the biggest area of prostitution and sex trafficking. Due to the sensitivity of prostitution and sex trafficking in this country/ city no names of organizations, places, or people involved will be said in this blog. We have visited several freedom businesses and have been shown their work. They operate as a business to help trafficked women get out of prostitution by giving them an opportunity to make/ sell goods instead of their lives. It's such a blessing to see the women smiling, laughing, and rejoicing at their new life of freedom. We were even able to minister at a church for girls 18 and under who were rescued from trafficking. All those beautiful faces are etched into our hearts as we pray for continued protection and for them to know the love and freedom only Jesus Christ can bring.
We have also volunteered at Mother Teresa's house near the temple of death. It was a sobering experience as we prayed over men and women (who are in seep rate rooms) who are dying. The men were very serious and it was heartbreaking to see them welcoming the end of life because we know what awaits those who do not believe in Jesus. The atmosphere on the women's side was lighter. Some women were talking and laughing as we prayed and loved them. One teammate spent the entire two hours of volunteering coloring with a woman, who then showed her more pieces of artwork that had been created over the time she had been in hospice. Other teammates gave massages, scratched backs, helped feed the women, and loved them in a way only Jesus can. Due to the language barrier, none of the women or volunteers spoke English) we were unable to actually preach the gospel to these men and women. All we could do was share love.
The final act in Kolkata was to plant a tent steak in the ground. These tent stakes have been prayed over for a year and are specific to each country, they are marked with a red dot to signify the blood of Jesus. This act of planting the stake represents claiming the ground in the nation for Jesus Christ. We prayed and felt to plant the stake near the kali temple, one of the main temples for sacrifice and worship in this nation. The spiritual atmosphere was intense around this place as it is dedicated to the worship of false gods, and we all felt it in some way. As we walked we prayed and worshipped Jesus, looking for a place to put the stake. There was one small space with some dirt and a tree, so we created a human shield as our team leader put the stake in the dirt. That temple is now claimed for the Lord!
With everything said and done we are all set to leave India. Every team member is heading to a different destination, but we will never forget what God did in this nation. As we continue to pray for the people and their freedom we continue on in our journey with the Father. Our next stop is an Iris base in Johannesburg, South Africa where another adventure with Jesus awaits us!
Blessings from the Reckless team!
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